Dispensing closure cap



M. B" STULL DISPENSING CLOSURE CAP Jul 14, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec, 15, 1966 INVENTOR. Movbon B- 5tudl AGENT M. B. STULL 3,520,453

DISPENSING CLOSURE CAP July 14, 1970 2 Sheets-$heet Original Filed Dec. 15, 1966 INVENTOR.

Movkon B. "atull United States Patent 3,520,453 DISPENSING CLOSURE CAP Morton B. Stull, Boonton, NJ. Stull Engraving Co., 2132 81st St., Gulf, Marathon, Fla. 33050) Original application Dec. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 602,004.

Divided and this application Oct. 14, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. B67d 06 U.S. Cl. 222-519 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispensing closure cap having a tubular body (through which the product passes) and an annular top edge portion or mouth, and a cap axially movable on the body, having a plug for entry in said mouth to seal the body. The cap has in its top an eccentric opening normally closed by the top edge portion and which communicates with the space around the plug to constitute therewith a discharge orifice. When the user unscrews the cap the threads become disengaged but an annular seal above the threads remains effective whereby contamination of the threads is effectively prevented.

The present application is a division of my copending application, Ser. No. 602,004, filed Dec. 15, 1966, now Pat. No. 3,433,394 issued Mar. 18, 1969, and entitled Dispensing Closure Cap.

CROSS REFERENCES (1) U.S. application Ser. No. 511,593 filed Dec. 6, 1965 by Morton B. Stull and entitled Captive Closure Cap Construction.

(2) U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,630.

(3) U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,918.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to dispensing closure caps wherein a stationary body portion holds captive a movable cap portion which has the discharge orifice.

In some prior closure caps of the type referred to, a central discharge orifice of the turnable cap portion is closed when the cap portion is screwed down or in, and is opened when the cap portion is screwed up. The closing of the central, orifice is effected by a stopper plug carried by the body portion at the mouth of the latter. Such arrangement undesirably restricts the size of the discharge passage through the body portion. Also, it does not provide for spray sidewise of the container. Also, in prior caps there existed the likelihood of contamination of the screw threads if the user continued the unscrewing movement more than just the amount necessary to open the orifice.

SUMMARY The present invention obviates the above disadvantage of possible contamination of the screw threads, and objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved dispensing type captive closure cap construction wherein a relatively large discharge passage is possible without requiring an increase in overall diameter, the construction being such that a seal is maintained at all times above the screw threads regardless of the extent of the unscrewing movement, thereby to isolate the product from the threads and prevent contamination of the latter. This is accomplished by providing on the cap body portion a circular sealing bead disposed above exterior screw threads, and by providing in the cap cooperable interior screw threads, and above the latter a cylindrical sealing surface which is cooperable with the sealing bead even when the screw threads become disengaged. In the cap body portion there is an unobstructed central discharge passage. The cap itself has one or more eccentrically disposed orifice openings, and the closure of the passage in the body portion is effected through use of a centrally disposed plug carried by the cap portion adjacent the discharge orifice or orifice thereof.

Other objects and advantages are to provide an improved cap construction as above, wherein a small turning movement of the cap portion can result in a relatively large orifice opening; to provide a construction as outlined, wherein an adjustable or variable flow is readily had, and one that can be accurately controlled; a construction of the kind set forth, wherein a very effective seal is secured, where the seal may be a double seal, and wherein the product is kept out of contact with cooperable stops and screw thread means of the closure; a construction as above, wherein the orifice may be readily wiped clean, and wherein no excess product can accumu late in the cooperable parts; a construction as indicated, wherein the cap portion can readily function as a spreader; a construction in accordance with the foregoing, wherein accurate indications may be had as to the size of the discharge passage and rate of flow; a construction as above, wherein positive means are provided to insure upward axial movement of the cap in response to its being turned, wherein simple, easily molded low-cost plastic parts are possible, wherein there is reliable operation, small size and a compact arrangement.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in axial section and partly in side elevation, of a cap construction made in accordance with the invention, shown in closed condition.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the construction of FIG. 1, shown partially in section.

FIG. 3 is a view mostly in axial cross section of a closed cap, showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the construction of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view mostly in axial section of a closed cap, showing yet another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the construction of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view like that of FIG. 1 but with the omis sion of the center stopper plug.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispensing type closure construction as illustrated therein comprises an inner tubular body portion 10 and an upper inverted cuplike cap portion 12. The body portion 10 may constitute an integral or permanent part of the top of a container, or it may comprise a screw cap (or other type cap) which is constituted as a separate piece, and is attached to the container either permanently or temporarily.

The body portion 10 is shown as including a base 14 which may be thought of as the top wall of a screw cap, or of a container. The body 10 has external screw threads 16 which are cooperable with internal screw threads 18 of the cap 12, and has a stepped bore 20, 22 of relatively large diameter, constituting the discharge passage of the cap construction. The bore parts 20, 22 may be essentially cylindrical, as will be understood. The upper portion of the body part comprises an annular top edge portion 24 which preferably has a cylindrical exterior surface 26 for purposes to be later brought out.

It will be noted that the bore 20, 22 of the body 10 is unobstructed, as regards any adjoining portions of the body, whereby there is bad a central discharge passage of relatively large diameter and capacity.

In accordance with the present invention, the cap part 12 of the closure comprises a centrally disposed stopper plug 28 which is adapted to fit snugly within the top edge portion 24 of the body 10, said cap part being also provided with at least one eccentrically disposed top opening or orifice 30 which communicates with the space surrounding the plug 28 and which is adapted to be closed by the annular top edge portion 24 of the body 10. If the body 10 is of a contrasting color as compared with the cap, the exposed, projecting portion of the annular top 24 of the body 10 will be attention-attracting and readily visible.

Preferably the cap 12 has, inside its upper portion, an annular groove which is shown in FIG. 1 as being occupied by the annular top edge portion 24 of the body 10. The inner wall of such annular groove is constituted of the plug 28 and the outer wall of the groove is formed by a cylindrical inner surface 32 of the cap.

Referring to FIG. 2, the eccentric discharge orifice or opening 30 of the cap has opposite edges 34 and 35 in the shape of parts of circles, and also a lower edge 36 having its major portion straight and at its ends curving to meet the edges 34 and 35.

As seen in FIG. 1, the cap 12 is in the closing or sealing position, and the inside plug formation 28 thereof has closed off the bore of the body 10. Thus, no discharge of product will occur.

When the cap 12 is unscrewed, the thread means 16, 18 of the cap and body will cause the cap to shift axially upward whereupon the annular top edge portion 24 of the body will no longer be received in the eccentric orifice opening 30 of the cap. Also, the plug 28 will be withdrawn from the annular portion 24 of the body 10. In consequence, a discharge of the product may now occur, through the stepped bore 20, 22 and out through the eccentric orifice 30. The extent of unscrewing of the cap 12 will determine the extent or size of the discharge opening or orifice formed by the opening 30 of the cap and the surrounding space adjoining the plug 28.

In accordance with the invention the body 10 and cap 12 are provided with rugged, failure-resistant stops comprising cooperable vertical ribs 38, which become en- I gaged in the manner shown in FIG. 2 when the cap is fully screwed onto the body. Also, when the cap is fully unscrewed the vertical ribs 38, 40 will again become engaged at their opposite sides. By virtue of the substantial lengths of the ribs 38, 40 it is normally not possible to force the cap past either of the two limits esablished thereby, representing a turning movement of slightly less than 360.

The construction provided by the invention also enables a good seal to be maintained at all times between the engaging cylindrical surfaces 26 and 32 respectively of the body 10 and cap 12. Accordingly, it is not possible for the product which is being discharged to come in contact with either the stop ribs 38, 40 which are located at a level below the engaged cylindrical sealing surfaces, or the cooperable threads 16, 18 which are located at a still lower level, below the zone of action of the ribs 38, 40. This is an important feature of the invention, since it prevents undesired storage of excess product and interference with the proper functioning of the closure construction.

Further, in accordance with the invention, the plug 28 has a threaded depending portion 42 wherein the threads are progressively deeper toward the bottoms or troughs thereof. The crests of the threads are shown as in engagement with the bore 22 of the body 10, and when the cap 12 is unscrewed partially the product will fiow in a helical path, in the trough formed by the screw threads, prior to being discharged from the orifice opening 30. With such arrangement an accurate control of the rate of flow of the product is had, and the greatest flow will be had with the cap unscrewed to the maximum extent.

It will be understood that as the cap 12 is either screwed onto the body or else unscrewed therefrom, a wiping action will take place between the annular top edge 24 of the body and the adjoining portions of the cap, whereby there is minimized any likelihood of the product collecting or becoming lodged in unwanted places instead of being available for use. When the cap 12 is screwed down the full extent, the orifice opening 30 and the exposed portion of the top edge 24 of the body 10 are accessible and may be readily wiped with a cloth, held under running water, etc., for cleaning purposes if this should be desired.

The center plug 42, while providing a desirable sealing arrangement, is not essential in producing an effective and satisfactory cap. For example, FIG. 7 shows the cap of FIG. 1 but without the plug 42. The seal of the bore 20, 22 of the body 10 is effected by the top wall of the cap 12. However, when the plug 42 is utilized there exists an inner seal as well as a top seal, at the upper portion of the body 10.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein there is provided an indicatortype cap construction giving an indication of the rate of flow, and wherein the cap has a plurality of eccentrically disposed orifice openings, thereby to enable a still larger discharge passage and rate of flow to be had.

The cap body 46 is also generally tubular, being carried by a base portion 48 and having an annular top edge portion 50 which is received in an annular groove 52 in the cap 54 when the latter is screwed down to the closed position shown in FIG. 3. The cap 54 has a stopper plug 56 which snugly fits the mouth of the edge portion 50 of the body portion 46 to provide an effective seal therewith. Below the plug 56 there is a depending portion 58 of tapered configuration, in the nature of a truncated cone. The cap 54 has a plurality of arcuate, eccentrically disposed discharge orifice openings 60, 62 and 64 in its top wall, said openings being occupied by the annular edge portion 50 when the cap 54 is screwed down as in the figures.

The body 46 has an annular sealing head 66 which engages the inner cylindrical wall 68 of the cap 54 for all positions of the latter, thereby to prevent flow of product in the area below the head 66. The body 46 has a helical screw thread 70 which is cooperable with a triangular shaped lug 72 on the interior cylindrical wall 68 of the cap, the said parts functioning as a screw thread means whereby unscrewing movement of the cap will cause it to shift axially upward, and vice versa. Also, the inside of the cap 54 has an inwardly projecting lug 74 adapted to ride on a helical track 76 at the base of the body 46, these functioning as a screw thread during the unscrewing movement of the cap 54 and constituting a positive-acting means which forces the cap 54 forward in response to the turning, unscrewing movement. The base 48 of the body 46 has a helical track 78 at the exterior of the cap 54, such track being engageable by an outwardly projecting lug 80 on the cap and serving also to insure raising axial movement of the cap in response to its unscrewing turning movement.

By virtue of the tapered shape of the portion 58 of the plug 56, the passage provided for the product becomes greater as the cap 56 is unscrewed a greater extent. In accordance with the invention, the lug 80 has a pointed portion 82, and the helical track 78 has numbers or other insignia 84 to which the pointer 84 may be referred. Accordingly, the various rotative positions of the cap 54 will correspond to the number's 1, 2, 3 etc. and these numbers will indicate the realtive sizes of opening existing between the plug portion 58 and the bore 68 of the body 46. Thus, the cap provides for an adjustable rate of flow, with indicia giving an indication as to the magnitude of the various rates, corresponding to the different raised positions of the cap 54.

The track 78 has a stop 88 which is engaged by the pointed portion 82 of the lug 80 when the cap 54 has been unscrewed slightly less than 360. This constitutes a positive stop, both for the downward, closed position of the cap and also for the upward, or raised, open position of the cap. Another stop for the downward closed position of the cap is constituted by the inner lug 74 engageable with an end face 90 of the track 76.

If the stop 88 is eliminated, then the fully raised position of the cap 54 can be higher than indicated by the broken outline in FIG. 3. For example, it can correspond to the broken outline 73 designating a further raised position of the triangular-shaped lug 72 on the interior of the cap. It will be understood that for such further raised position, a slight amount of interference exists between the screw thread 70 and the triangular-shaped lug 72 when in the position designated 73 whereby the thread will pick up the lug as the cap is turned to screw it downward. Also, in accordance with the invention, with the stop 88 eliminated, the user can continue the unscrewing movement Without restriction. The screw threads will merely momentarily engage and then disengage without shifting the cap any higher. However, it is important to note that for all positions of the cap 54, the sealing bead 66 will remain in sealing engagement With the inner cylindrical wall 68 of the cap, preventing product from reaching the screw thread means, and from reaching the helical track within the cap 54 thereby to prevent contamination of the threads and helical track.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6-. This embodiment is in many respects similar to that of FIGS. 3 and 4, and accordingly only the differences will be described in detail. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the cap 92 has a pointer 94 which does not ride on a helical track as with the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, but instead functions merely as a reference in connection with raised numbers 96 provided on the base portion 98 of the body 100.

A sealing bead 102 of rounded configuration is provided on the body 100, for cooperation with the inner cylindrical surface 104 of the cap 92 to prevent contamination of the screw thread means and inner helical track of the construction.

As seen in FIG. 6, but a single discharge orifice opening 106 is provided, being normally occupied by the upper annular top edge portion 108 of the body 100 when the cap is screwed down. Also, the top surface 110 of the cap is planar and extends downwardly, making an acute angle (indicated at X) with respect to the axis of the cap.

The sealing plug 112 has a depending portion 114 which is of stepped configuration, having a progressively smaller size toward the bottom end. The cap 92 has an interior lug 116 constituting a thread element and also a stop.

The configuration of the plug portion 114 provides for incremental increases in the size of the discharge passage, as the cap 92 is unscrewed. The interior lug 116 constitutes a stop, being engageable with an end face 118 of the helical track 120 at the base of the body 100, and being engageable with a face 122 of a stop lug 124 whereby the possible turning of the cap can be restricted to slightly less than 360. However, the stop lug 124 can be omitted, whereupon a further raising of the cap 92 is possible, to a position higher than the broken line position shown in FIG. 5. For this higher position the triangular-shaped lug 126 occupies the upper broken line position indicated by the numeral 128.

It will now be understood from the foregoing that I have provided a novel and improved dispensing type captive closure cap construction wherein a relatively large discharge passage is possible without requiring an in crease in overall diameter. With the cap construction as shown, a realtively small turning movement of the cap part can result in a relatively large orifice opening, depending on the shape given to the stopper plug which enters the bore of the cap body portion. The closure provides for an adjustable flow, and provides indicia means for indicating the degree of opening of the discharge passage. A very effective seal is had, and the product is kept out of contact with the cooperable stops and thread means of the closure. The orifice may be readily wiped clean, and no excess product can accumulate in the cooperable parts. With the construction of FIGS. 5 and 6, the cap portion can readily function as a spreader. Positive means are provided to insure upward axial movement of the cap in response to its being turned. The cooperable parts are easily molded of plastic substance, and are low in cost. The operation of the cap is reliable at all times, and the cap is seen to be of relatively small size, and compact arrangement.

Variations and modifications are possible, and portions of the improvement may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A dispensing closure cap comprising, in combination:

(a) an upright tubular body adapted to be carried on a container, the bore of said body constituting a discharge passage for product to be dispensed from the container,

(b) an orificed screw cap axially and turnably movable on said body and surrounding the same, said cap having in its top a discharge orifice adapted to communicate with the bore of the body when the cap is in a raised, discharging position on the body,

(c) screw thread means on the body and cap, for unscrewing the latter to said raised, discharging position as it is turned on the body,

(d) said cap and body being so constituted that unscrewing turning movement of the cap can be continuously eifected after disengagement of said screw thread means, without shifting the cap axially past said raised, discharging position, said cap and body having cooperable annular sealing portions disposed above said screw thread means, said screw thread means and sealing portions being so related that the axial distance which the cap moves on the body from its fully screwed on position to the raised, discharging position wherein the thread means becomes disengaged is less than the axial distance which the cap moves from its fully screwed on position to a position first effecting disengagement of said sealing portions,

(e) said sealing portions becoming disengaged after a predetermined additional axial raising and separation movement of the cap from its discharging position, and

(f) said sealing portions remaining sealingly engaged for the lesser raising movement of the cap as effected by unscrewing thereof to said discharging position wherein the screw thread means just become disengaged.

2. A cap as in claim 1, wherein:

(a) the annular sealing portions of the cap and body comprise a sealing bead on the body and a cylindrical inner sealing surface in the cap, engaged with said head.

3. A cap as in claim 1, wherein:

(a) the screw thread means comprises a cam track having a stop shoulder at one end, said track being disposed on the tubular body, and comprises a lug on the cap, engageable with said cam track to raise the cap and with said stop shoulder of the cam track to halt turning of the cap when it is fully screwed on the body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,591,231 4/1952 Broadway 222542 X 2,950,033 8/ 1960 Henchert 222542 X 3,121,519 2/1964 Cherba 222519 8 8/1934 Sherman 222551 X 8/1959 Williams 222551 FOREIGN PATENTS 2/ 1965 Great Britain.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

